STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 


i  ■  . 


REPORT 


OF 


„  •  V 


itate  Engineer  and  Surveyor  J.  A.  Bensel 


ON 


•urveys  of  Black  River  Canal  Extension,  Chemung 
CanaLReconsirucdon,  Glens  Falls  Feeder  Conversion, 
Flushing  River  and  Jamaica  Bay  Canal  Con¬ 
struction,  and  Newtown  Creek-Flushing  Bay 
Canal  Construction,  as  directed  by 
Chapter  220,  Laws  of  1913 


TRANSMITTED  TO  THE  LEGISLATURE  MARCH  11,  1914 


ALBANY 
J.  B.  LYON  COMPANY,  PRINTERS 
1914 


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STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 


REPORT 


OF 


State  Engineer  and  Surveyor  J.  A.  Bensel 

ON 


Surveys  of  Black  River  Canal  Extension,  Chemung 
Canal  Reconstruction,  Glens  Falls  Feeder  Conversion, 
Flushing  River  and  Jamaica  Bay  Canal  Con¬ 
struction,  and  Newtown  Creek-Flushing  Bay 
Canal  Construction,  as  directed  by 
Chapter  220,  Laws  of  1913 


TRANSMITTED  TO  THE  LEGISLATURE  MARCH  11,  1914 


*  ALBANY 

J.  B.  LYON  COMPANY.  PRINTERS 
1914 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


https://archive.org/details/reportofstateeng00newy_0 


I  o  Q  2.2.  HALLER 


State  of  New  York 


No.  34. 


IN  SENATE 

March  11,  1914. 


Report  of  State  Engineer  and  Surveyor  on  Surveys  and  Estimates 
of  Cost  of  Black  River  Canal  Extension,  Chemung  Canal  Re¬ 
construction,  Glens  Falls  Feeder  Conversion,  Flushing  River 
and  Jamaica  Bay  Canal  Construction  and  Newtown  Creek- 
Flushing  Bay  Canal  Construction,  as  directed  by  Chapter  220, 
Laws  of  1913. 


To  the  Honorable ,  The  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
Albany,  N.  Y.: 

Gentlemen. —  Chapter  220  of  the  Laws  of  1913,  providing 
for  the  making  of  surveys  for  improving  and  extending  the  canal 
system  of  the  State,  and  making  an  appropriation  therefor,  is  as 
follows : 

“  'Section  1.  The  state  engineer  and  surveyor  shall  cause 
surveys  to  be  made  for  the  improvement  of  the  canal  system 
of  the  state  by  the  extension  of  the  Black  River  canal,  the 
reconstruction  of  the  Chemung  canal,  the  conversion  of  the 
Glens  Falls  feeder  into  a  canal,  the  construction  of  a  canal 
between  Flushing  river  and  Jamaica  bay  and  the  con¬ 
struction  of  a  canal  from  Newtown  creek,  sometimes 
known  as  Nassau  river,  to  connect  with  the  proposed 
canal  between  Flushing  hay  and  Jamaica  bay.  Such  officer 
shall  make  a  report  to  the  Legislature  of  nineteen  hundred 
and  fourteen,  embodying  the  result  of  his  investigations,  to¬ 
gether  with  estimates  of  the  cost  for  which  such  work  may 
be  done. 


4 


[Senate. 


“  §  2.  The  sum  of  thirty-five  thousand  dollars  ($35,000), 
or  so  much  thereof  as  may  be  necessary,  is  hereby  appropri¬ 
ated  for  the  purposes  of  this  act,  out  of  any  money  in  the 
treasury,  not  otherwise  appropriated,  payable  by  the  treas¬ 
urer  on  the  warrant  of  the  comptroller,  on  the  order  of  the 
state  engineer  and  surveyor.” 

Pursuant  to  this  provision,  surveys  of  the  specified  routes  have 
been  made  under  the  direction  of  the  State  Engineer  and  esti¬ 
mates  of  the  probable  cost  of  constructing  the  proposed  canals 
have  been  prepared,  the  basis  of  estimate  being  that  of  a  channel 
of  Barge  canal  dimensions  similar  to  that  provided  by  chapter 
147  of  the  Laws  of  1903  and  chapter  391  of  the  Laws  of  1909, 
that  is,  a  minimum  depth  of  water  of  12  feet  and  minimum  bot¬ 
tom  width  of  prism  of  75  feet.  The  locks  also  have  Barge  canal 
dimensions- — an  available  chamber  length  of  311  feet,  a  width 
of  45  feet,  and  a  depth  of  water  on  miter-sills  of  12  feet. 

Inasmuch  as  each  of  these  projects  involves  radically  different 
features,  they  will  be  taken  up  in  order  and  treated  separately. 

Accompanying  the  report  there  are  maps,  profiles  and  typical 
sections  of  the  proposed  canals. 

Black  Biver  Canal  Project. 

Pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  chapter  190  of  the  Laws  of  1911, 
the  State  Engineer  made  surveys  and  prepared  estimates  cover¬ 
ing  the  improvement  of  the  so-called  Black  Biver  canal  from 
Carthage  to  Sacketts  Harbor,  on  Lake  Ontario.  A  detailed  re¬ 
port  of  this  survey  was  submitted  to  the  Legislature  as  a  part  of 
the  1912  State  Engineer’s  report,  the  most  feasible  route  recom¬ 
mended  in  which  was  as  follows: 

“  Beginning  at  Carthage  the  Black  river  is  utilized  to 
within  a  short  distance  of  Heferiet.  Then  comes  a  cut-off 
to  the  east  of  this  village,  till  the  river  is  regained  a  little 
to  the  north.  From  this  point  to  the  eastern  end  of  Hunt¬ 
ington  island,  just  east  of  Watertown,  the  river  is  used,  with 
the  exception  of  a  cut-off  across  a  bend  at  Black  Biver  vil¬ 
lage.  The  river  channel  is  used  around  the  north  side  of 
Huntington  island  and  then  a  land  line  is  followed  which 


No.  34.] 


5 


extends  along  the  northern  outskirts  of  Watertown,  passing, 
near  its  western  end,  into  Cowans  creek  and  entering  Black 
river  at  the  mouth  of  this  creek,  a  point  which  is  opposite 
the  fair  grounds.  Then  the  river  is  again  utilized  to  Glen 
Park,  where  a  line  to  the  south  of  the  river  is  begun,  which 
runs  to  the  headwaters  of  Muskalonge  creek  and  then  follows 
this  stream  to  its  entrance  into  Lake  Ontario  through  Mus- 
*  kalonge  hay,  which  is  an  indentation  some  three  miles  from 

Sacketts  Harbor.” 

t  At  the  time  of  submitting  this  report,  the  estimated  cost  of 

improving  the  Black  River  canal  was  given  as  $16,300,000.  Since 
making  this  report,  certain  decisions  have  been  handed  down  by 
the  courts  with  respect  to  the  settlement  of  damages  growing  out 
of  the  appropriation  of  lands  and  waters  which,  to  my  mind, 
warrant  a  revision  of  the  estimate  of  land  and  water  damages, 
and  I  therefore  beg  to  report  at  this  time  that  the  revised  estimate 
for  the  cost  of  improving  the  Black  River  canal  along  the  route 
as  above  noted  is  $19,000,000. 

Chemung  Canal  Project. 

The  general  route  of  the  Chemung  canal  extends  from  the 
southerly  end  of  the  Cayuga  and  Seneca  canal  improvement  at 
Ayers  street,  Montour  Palls,  southerly  through  Horseheads  and 
Elmira  and  follows  the  valley  of  the  Chemung  river  to  a  point  on 
the  Pennsylvania  state  line  near  Waverly,  covering  a  distance  of 
approximately  thirty-seven  miles.  It  has  been  assumed  that  the 
cargo  capacity  requirements  for  this  canal  would  be  2,000,000 

*  tons  per  season. 

I  In  order  to  provide  water  for  the  proper  operation  of  this 

canal,  it  will  be  necessary  to  construct  a  feeder  extending  from 

*  the  Chemung  river  in  the  vicinity  of  Corning  to  a  point  on  the 
summit  level  near  Horseheads.  The  line  of  this  feeder  follows 
approximately  that  of  the  abandoned  Chemung  canal  feeder,  and 
it  will  be  necessary  to  construct  a  movable  dam  at  a  point  near 
Corning  to  control  the  water  level  of  the  pool  from  which  waters 
are  to  be  diverted  for  the  purpose  of  feeding  to  the  summit  level. 

In  general,  the  route  of  the  Chemung  canal  is  along  the  line 


6 


[Senate, 


of  the  abandoned  Chemung  canal  from  Montour  Falls  to  Horse- 
heads.  From  Horseheads  to  Elmira  the  valley  of  Hewtown 
creek  is  followed  to  the  Chemung  river.  From  Elmira,  the  route 
of  the  canal  would  follow  in  general  the  line  of  the  Chemung 
river,  which  would  be  canalized  and  equipped  with  the  necessary 
dams  and  locks  similar  to  those  installed  along  the  canalized 
Mohawk  river.  The  combination  of  these  sections  constitutes 
the  only  available  route  from  Seneca  lake  to  the  Pennsylvania 
state  line  west  of  Waver ly. 

Hue  to  the  topography  of  the  country  to  the  west  of  Waverly 
and  near  the  Pennsylvania  state  line,  it  is  practically  impossible 
to  keep  the  best  route  within  the  limits  of  Hew  York  state,  and 
in  order  to  utilize  to  the  best  advantage  existing  conditions  it 
would  be  necessary  for  the  canal  to  cross  the  state  line  and  return 
to  Hew  York  state  at  a  point  west  of  Waverly,  the  approximate 
length  within  the  state  of  Pennsylvania  being  two  miles.  After  the 
return  to  Hew  York  state  the  canal  would  follow  the  general  line 
of  the  Chemung  river  to  Waverly,  covering  a  distance  of  approxi¬ 
mately  four  miles.  Attention  is  called  to  this  condition,  inas¬ 
much  as  it  is  not  considered  proper  to  include  in  an  estimate  of 
the  cost  to  the  State  of  Hew  York  the  improvement  of  any  por¬ 
tion  of  the  Chemung  river  lying  in  the  state  of  Pennsylvania. 

As  a  result  of  the  study  given  to  this  proposed  improvement, 
I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  following  is  the  route  which  should 
ultimately  be  adopted :  Beginning  at  the  southern  limits  of  what 
is  known  as  Barge  canal  contract  “  I,”  in  the  village  of  Montour 
Falls,  the  route  of  the  proposed  waterway  extends  southerly  and 
follows  the  valley  of  Catharine  creek  until  the  divide  near  the 
village  of  Horseheads  is  reached;  thence  it  crosses  this  divide 
into  the  valley  of  Hewtown  creek;  thence  down  the  valley  of 
Hewtown  creek  to  the  Chemung  river;  thence  down  the  valley  of 
the  Chemung  river,  cutting  off  such  bends  of  the  river  as  may 
he  necessary,  until  the  Pennsylvania  state  line  is  reached  near 
Waverly. 

Hue  to  the  steep  valley  of  Catharine  creek,  it  will  be  necessary 
to  construct  fifteen  locks  within  the  short  distance  of  approxi¬ 
mately  five  miles,  and  it  will  also  he  necessary  to  provide  proper 
storage  reservoirs  in  the  Chemung  valley  for  the  purpose  of 


No.  34.] 


7 


storing  waters  sufficient  to  ensure  the  proper  operation  of  the 
canal. 

The  estimated  cost  of  constructing  a  canal  of  Barge  canal  di¬ 
mensions  along  the  route  above  outlined  is  $25,250,000  for  that 
part  within  the  limits  of  the  state  of  New  York.  This  estimate 
does  not  include  the  cost  of  canalizing  that  portion  of  the  Che¬ 
mung  canal  lying  within  the  state  of  Pennsylvania  in  the  vicinity 
of  Waverly,  the  improvement  of  which  is  estimated  at  $1,250,000. 

Glens  Falls  Feeder  Project. 

The  Glens  Falls  feeder,  which  extends  from  a  point  on  the 
Hudson  river  about  a  mile  and  a  half  above  Glens  Falls  to  an 
intersection  with  the  summit  level  of  the  old  Champlain  canal 
near  Hudson  F alls,  has  served  two  purposes, —  that  of  supplying 
water  to  the  canal  and  that  of  furnishing  a  navigable  channel 
from  the  canal  to  the  village  of  Hudson  Falls  and  the  city  of 
Glens  Falls.  This  connection,  however,  cannot  pass  boats  of 
more  than  150  tons  capacity.  As  a  part  of  the  Barge  canal  im¬ 
provement  certain  work  is  being  done  along  the  feeder.  This 
will  insure  the  passage  of  sufficient  water  to  supply  the  needs  of 
the  summit  level  of  the  new  Champlain  canal,  but  will  not  in¬ 
crease  the  dimensions  of  the  channel  to  such  an  extent  that 
larger  boats  can  be  used.  The  water  supply  for  the  new  canal 
will  pass  through  the  entire  length  of  the  old  feeder  and  then 
northerly  through  the  old  Champlain  canal  from  its  junction  with 
the  feeder  to  the  vicinity  of  Dunhams  Basin,  where  a  new  lateral 
channel  will  connect  with  the  improved  canal. 

In  making  the  survey  called  for  by  chapter  220,  Laws  of  1913, 

*  two  general  choices  of  route  were  possible,  one  in  the  bed  of  the 

i  Hudson  river  and  the  other  along  some  course  that  would  give  a 

channel  independent  of  the  river,  or  a  “  land  line/7  as  it  is  called, 

♦  in  distinction  from  a  “  river  line/7  or  the  canalization  of  a  nat¬ 
ural  stream. 

A  river  line  would  extend  from  the  feeder  dam,  about  one  and 
one-half  miles  above  Glens  Falls,  to  a  point  below  Fort  Edward, 
where  the  river  has  been  dredged  in  constructing  the  Champlain 
Barge  canal,  this  point  being  on  the  second  level  below  the  sum¬ 
mit  of  the  new  canal.  This  line  was  not  surveyed,  because  of  two 


8 


[Senate, 


apparently  serious  objections.  As  practically  the  whole  of  the 
river  bed  is  rock,  it  was  considered  that  the  cost  of  excavation 
would  be  excessive.  Also,  it  seemed  that  a  river  location  would 
damage  existing  power  developments,  since  a  given  amount  of 
water  must  be  delivered  through  the  old  feeder  to  the  summit 
level  of  the  new  Champlain  canal,  irrespective  of  the  location  of 
the  proposed  feeder  canalization.  Thus  a  river  line  would  require 
a  double  supply  of  water  and  might  so  curtail  the  output  of  the 
mills,  which  are  dependent  on  the  power  developed  from  the  river, 
that  the  very  object  of  the  canal  would  be  defeated  by  diminish¬ 
ing  the  commerce  which  it  is  designed  to  accommodate  and  which 
it  should  also  foster  and  increase. 

Beginning  at  the  feeder  dam,  the  survey  of  the  land  line  fol¬ 
lowed  the  existing  feeder  to  a  point  between  locks  Nos.  12  and  13, 
which  is  at  the  plant  of  the  Kenyon  Lumber  Company  in  Hudson 
Falls.  Leaving  the  feeder  at  this  point,  the  route  took  a  southerly 
course  along  the  eastern  limits  of  Hudson  Falls  and  by  a  flight 
of  locks  reached  the  old  Champlain  canal  just  north  of  Fort 
Edward.  Thence  to  a  junction  with  the  improved  Champlain,  or 
Barge  canal,  three  lines  were  surveyed.  The  most  feasible  con¬ 
tinued  on  the  same  southerly  course,  crossing  the  old  Champlain 
canal  and  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  railroad,  and  reached  the 
new  Champlain  canal  about  one-fourth  mile  below  lock  No.  8. 

The  route  just  described  is  considered  the  best  for  several  rea¬ 
sons.  First,  it  costs  the  least.  Then,  it  is  shorter  than  either  of 
the  others  by  nearly  a  mile  and  a  half.  Also,  the  alignment  is 
best,  both  from  the  standpoint  of  the  navigator  and  because  it  does 
not  pass  through  the  heart  of  the  village  of  Fort  Edward,  as  the 
other  routes  do.  And  furthermore,  in  the  matter  of  water  supply 
this  route  appears  the  most  feasible  and  will  divert  but  little  from 
that  intended  for  the  summit  level  of  the  Champlain  canal. 

The  estimated  costs  of  constructing  a  waterway  of  Barge  canal 
dimensions,  including  amounts  for  land  damages,  engineering 
and  contingencies,  along  the  several  routes,  are  as  follows: 

Route  No.  1:  Estimated  cost,  $9,000,000;  length,  7.6  miles. 

Route  No.  2:  Estimated  cost,  $10,000,000;  length,  8.9  miles. 

Route  No.  3:  Estimated  cost,  $10,000,000;  length,  9.0  miles. 


No.  34.] 


9 


These  estimates  are  for  a  canal  which  will  extend  through  the 
city  of  Glens  Falls  to  the  feeder  dam.  Should  it  be  deemed  ad¬ 
visable  to  extend  the  canal  only  to  Glens  Falls,  the  cost  of  each 
line  would  be  decreased  by  $1,400,000  and  the  length  by  about 
•one  and  one-half  miles. 

In  considering  the  question  of  probable  commerce,  I  desire  to 
call  your  attention  to  two  other  pending  projects  that  will  ma¬ 
terially  affect  conditions  in  this  locality.  It  seems  best  to  weigh 
the  advisability  of  building  this  canal  in  connection  with  the 
consideration  of  one  or  both  of  these  other  projects. 

Should  the  plan  of  constructing  a  storage  reservoir  on  the  up¬ 
per  Hudson  be  carried  into  execution,  it  is  probable  that  the  out¬ 
put  of  industries  in  this  region  would  be  greatly  increased.  Also, 
should  the  State  adopt  a  policy  for  the  Adirondack  mountains 
similar  to  that  of  the  Federal  government  toward  the  National 
forest  preserves,  which  allows  a  certain  amount  of  cutting  in  the 
work  of  reforestation,  there  would  follow  another  form  of  indus^ 
trial  development  in  this  section,  together  with  its  increased 
commerce.  All  of  these  three  subjects  are  so  closely  interwoven 
that  they  should  be  considered  as  one  great  project. 

In  drawing  any  legislative  bill  to  authorize  this  proposed  im¬ 
provement,  the  route  should  not  be  so  definitely  fixed  as  to  pre¬ 
clude  a  location  in  the  river  channel  or  deviations  in  the  land 
line,  should  further  investigation  show  their  advisability.  This 
same  precaution  should  be  observed  with  regard  to  bills  authoriz¬ 
ing  any  of  the  canals  mentioned  in  this  report. 

Jamaica  Bay-Flushing  Bay  Project. 

J  A  canal  from  J amaica  bay  to  Flushing  bay  has  been  advocated 

*  for  many  years  and  an  attempt  was  made  in  1912  to  pass  a  law 

I  authorizing  its  construction.  At  least  one  estimate  of  cost  has 

*  been  made  previous  to  the  survey  authorized  by  chapter  220,  Laws 
of  1913. 

In  a  route  across  Long  Island  from  Jamaica  bay  to  Flushing 
bay,  salt  meadows  are  encountered  for  the  first  two  miles,  then  a 
gently-sloping,  sandy  plain,  varying  in  height  from  20  to  40  feet 
above  mean  high  tide  and  extending  for  another  two  miles,  next  a 
steeper,  irregular  slope  to  the  backbone  of  the  island,  which  is 


10 


[Senate, 


composed  of  glacial  drift  and  till  and  has  a  maximum  elevation 
of  over  a  hundred  feet,  then  a  steep  descent  and  lastly  a  level 
stretch  of  salt  meadow  in  a  deep  indentation  of  the  main  ridge, 
extending  about  three  and  one-half  miles  to  Flushing  bay. 

In  making  the  estimate  of  cost  it  was  assumed  that  Hew  York 
city  will  construct  the  proposed  channel  in  Jamaica  bay,  together 
with  the  basins  extending  inland  from  that  channel.  The  cost 
of  the  channel  between  deep  water  in  the  East  river  to  Living¬ 
ston  street,  the  point  where  the  pier  and  bulkhead  lines  proposed 
by  the  city  end,  has  been  estimated  as  a  separate  item,  since  it 
is  expected  that  the  Federal  government  will  ultimately  improve 
the  channel  to  this  point. 

■Several  routes  were  considered  and  sufficient  investigations 
made  along  each  to  determine  the  most  feasible. 

The  route  selected  for  estimate  begins  at  the  Cornell  basin  of 
the  proposed  Jamaica  bay  channel.  It  follows  Cornell  creek  for 
a  short  distance,  bending  westerly  across  the  ridge  between  the 
creek  and  the  next  valley  to  the  west,  crosses  the  Ridgewood 
aqueduct  west  of  Three-mile  Mill  road  and  Rockaway  boulevard 
about  one-quarter  of  a  mile  west  of  the  junction  with  Rockaway 
road,  then  follows  the  natural  valley  through  the  truck  farms, 
crossing  Hawtree  creek  road  near  its  junction  with  Lincoln  ave¬ 
nue  and  Liberty  avenue  just  east  of  Van  Wyck  avenue.  From 
Liberty  avenue  the  line  runs  just  east  of  Van  Wyck  avenue  and 
nearly  parallel  to  it,  following  a  natural  depression  through  the 
residential  district  to  the  railroad.  It  crosses  the  railroad  just  east 
of  Dunton  station,  runs  thence  to  the  gravel  pits  on  the  Maple 
Grove  cemetery  property,  crosses  the  summit  of  the  main  ridge 
in  the  cemetery,  following  a  ravine  on  the  easterly  edge  of  the 
improved  portion,  across  the  Queens  boulevard,  and  then  down  \ 
the  ravine  across  the  Union  turnpike  at  the  pumping  station  of 
the  Citizens  Water  Company  to  the  meadows  at  the  head  of  [ 
Flushing  creek.  From  the  head  of  Flushing  creek  the  line  runs 
through  the  driven-well  field  of  the  water  company  to  the  head  of 
the  200-foot  channel  planned  by  the  city  at  Livingston  street. 
Thence  it  follows  the  line  of  the  improvement  of  the  Flushing 
river  proposed  by  the  city  of  Hew  York  to  Strong’s  causeway, 
thence  across  a  bend  of  the  river,  rejoining  the  channel  laid  out 


No.  34.] 


11 


by  the  city  above  the  Main  street  bridge  of  the  Long  Island  Kail- 
road  Company  and  thence  following  the  channel  for  which  ap¬ 
propriations  have  been  made  by  the  Federal  government  to  the 
point  in  Flushing  bay  where  the  depth  is  twelve  feet  at  mean 
low  water. 

From  tidal  observations,  it  appeared  that  locks  would  be  nec¬ 
essary  to  prevent  a  flow  which  would  be  destructive  to  the  channel, 
;and  therefore  a  lock  with  double-acting  gates  has  been  planned 
at  each  end  of  the  canal. 

Three  types  of  canal  have  been  considered,  as  follows: 

,5  (1)  A  sea-level,  open-cut  canal  with  two  locks. 

(2)  A  high-level,  open-cut  canal  with  four  or  more  locks. 

(3)  A  sea-level  canal  in  a  tunnel  through  the  high  portion  of 
the  island. 

Estimates  have  been  made  for  the  first  and  third  types,  but, 
because  investigation  showed  the  cost  of  pumping  to  be  enormous, 
further  consideration  of  the  second  type  was  discontinued. 

The  first  type,  the  sea-level,  open-cut  canal,  would  be  the 
cheapest  to  construct  and  while  it  has  many  objectionable  fea¬ 
tures,  is  has  been  made  the  basis  of  estimates  on  account  of  its 
comparative  cheapness. 

To  avoid  the  deep  open  cut  where  it  would  disturb  street  plans 
and  necessitate  many  bridges,  a  tunnel  has  been  suggested  by 
the  authorities  of  the  Borough  of  Queens.  This  would  extend 
from  Liberty  avenue  to  Union  avenue,  and  the  tentative  plans 
provide  for  a  double  conduit  of  reinforced  concrete  having  chan¬ 
nels  of  50  feet  each  with  columns  between  the  channels,  which, 
because  of  the  comparatively  large  ratio  of  cross-section  of  canal 
to  that  of  the  boat,  will  permit  a  rapid  and  easy  displacement  of 
water  by  the  moving  boat.  Such  a  channel  would  permit  the 
meeting  and  passing  of  two  boats  of  the  largest  size  the  Barge 
Sanal  locks  will  accommodate.  The  cost  would  be  considerably 
larger  than  by  either  of  the  open-cut  schemes,  but  such  a  canal 
would  probably  meet  with  greater  favor  by  both  the  borough  au¬ 
thorities  and  the  owners  of  the  affected  property. 

The  estimated  costs  of  the  two  types  of  canal,  including  engi¬ 
neering,  land  damages  and  contingencies,  are  as  follows: 


12  [Senate, 

Sea-level  canal,  Cornell  basin  to  East  river .  $13,211,042 

If  United  States  government  makes  channel  from 

Livingston  street  to  East  river,  deduct .  618,468 


$12,592,574 

Sea-level  canal,  as  above,  with  tunnel  from  Liberty 

avenue  to  Union  avenue .  $20,956,476 

If  United  States  government  makes  channel  from 

Livingston  street  to  East  river,  deduct .  618,468 


$20,338,008' 


Newtown  Creek-Flushing  Bay  Project. 

Schemes  for  a  canal  between  Newtown  creek  and  Flushing  bay 
have  been  considered  at  various  times  during  the  past  hundred 
years.  The  territory  between  Newtown  creek  and  Flushing  river 
shows  a  valley,  that  of  Maspeth  creek,  extending  inland  from  the 
west,  and  the  marshes  and  valleys  of  Flushing  river  and  its  tribu¬ 
tary  Horse  brook  stretching  from  the  east,  the  two  valleys  being 
separated  by  a  ridge  of  glacial  drift  about  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  wide  and  from  forty  to  fifty  feet  high. 

Several  routes  for  the  proposed  canal  were  considered  and  in¬ 
vestigations  carried  far  enough  on  each  to  determine  the  best. 
The  one  chosen  for  estimate  follows  Maspeth  creek  from  Newtown 
creek  to  the  old  main  line  of  the  Long  Island  railroad,  then  crosses 
a  high  sandy  ridge  to  Maurice  avenue,  the  line  of  which  it  con¬ 
tinues  to  follow  in  general  direction,  utilizing  the  valley  of  Mas¬ 
peth  creek  above  Newtown  avenue  and  that  of  Horse  brook  b«* 
yond  the  glacial  ridge.  In  this  course  it  passes  through  the 
well-field  of  the  Urban  Water  Company  at  Newtown  avenue  and 
crosses  the  Long  Island  railroad  main  line  and  the  New  Yoi4^ 
Connecting  railroad  just  north  of  Maurice  avenue.  Beyond 
Grand  street,  Elmhurst,  the  route  runs  through  Horse  brook  val¬ 
ley  and  marshes  to  a  junction  with  the  Jamaica  Bay-Flushing 
Bay  line  just  above  Strong’s  causeway. 

Only  one  type  of  canal  was  considered  —  a  sea-level  channel. 
Because  of  difference  in  time  of  tide  at  the  two  ends,  as  shown 


No.  34.] 


13 


by  tidal  observations,  a  lock  was  estimated  for  the  west  end  of 
the  canal,  the  lock  which  will  serve  for  the  other  end  having  been 
included  in  the  Jamaica  Bay-Flushing  Bay  project. 

The  estimated  cost  of  constructing  this  canal,  including 
amounts  for  engineering,  land  damages  and  contingencies,  is 
$5,894,144. 

Summary. 

> 

‘  A  summary  of  cost  of  the  five  projects  contained  in  the  bill 


authorizing  these  surveys  is  as  follows: 

^Extension  of  Black  Biver  canal .  $19,000,000 

Reconstruction  of  Chemung  canal  (portion  within 

New  York  state) .  25,250,000 

Conversion  of  Glens  Falls  feeder  into  a  canal.  .  .  .  9,000,000 

Construction  of  canal  between  Flushing  river  and 

Jamaica  bay  .  20,338,008 

Construction  of  canal  from  Newtown  creek  to  junc¬ 
tion  with  proposed  canal  between  Flushing  and 
Jamaica  bays  .  5,894,144 


$79,482,152 


It  is  to  be  noted  that  in  this  summary  the  portion  of  the  Che¬ 
mung  canal  lying  in  the  state  of  Pennsylvania  is  not  included. 
The  estimate  for  this  is  $1,250,000. 

Also,  the  amount  for  the  Jamaica  Bay— Flushing  Bay  project 
is  the  estimate  for  the  sea-level  canal  with  a  tunnel  section.  If 
the  all  open-cut  type  is  desired,  then  $12,592,574  should  be  sub¬ 
stituted.  Both  of  these  figures  are  based  on  the  assumption  that 
the  Federal  government  will  construct  the  northern  portion  of 
this  canal,  which  is  estimated  to  cost  $618,468. 

*9 

Respectfully  submitted, 

J.  A.  BENSEL,  ’ 

State  Engineer  and  Surveyor . 


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To  nccompany  Report  of  State  Engineer 
and  Surveyor  to  Legislature  of  19 I  f . 
“■  Koutes  fulniud  I  Rejected  Routes 


Surveyed  under  Chapter  220  Laws  of  1913 


MAP  SHOW IN6 
Routes  of  the  Proposed 
JAMAICA  BAY-FLUSHING  BAY 

NEWTOWN  CREEK- FLUSHING  BAY 
CANALS 


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horse  Brook  Marshes 


SURVEY  FOR 

PROPOSED  CANAL 

between 

NEWTOWN  CREEK  and  FLUSHING  BAY 

(Chapter  220 ,  Caws  of  1913) 


TYPICAL  SECTIONS 

Tb  accompany  Report  of  State  Engineer  ^Surveyor  to  Legislature  of  1914. 
Scale 


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(Chapter  ZZ 0,  Laws  of  1913) 

TYPICAL  SECTIONS,  SEA-LEVELTYPE  OF  CANAL 
OPEN  CUT  AND  TUNNEL  SECTIONS 

Livingston  5t.  To  accompany  Report  of  State  Engineer  &  Sur  veyor  to  Legislature  of  1914 

Scale 

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